Updated · our on-the-ground pick, checked this month
Nice sits just 30 km from Italy, and the pizza proves it. Skip the tourist traps on the seafront: the city has genuinely great pizzerias in every style, from puffy Neapolitan to old-school wood-fired. Here are the eight I actually eat at, sorted by style so you can pick the crust you’re in the mood for.
🍕 Know your styles in 20 seconds
- Neapolitan (napoletana): soft, puffy, chewy rim with a leopard-spotted char. Eaten with a knife and fork.
- Classic wood-fired & Niçois: thin, crisp base, generous toppings, the French-Italian standard you’ll find all over the Old Town.
🍕 What kind of pizza night?
One tap and I’ll point you to the right table.
Jump to a style
🇮🇹 Neapolitan & authentic Italian
🍕Piperno: the proper Neapolitan
A short, focused menu of true Neapolitan pizzas with a soft, leopard-spotted crust, from a straight Regina to a truffle-and-stracciatella number. This is the one for pillowy dough done right, plus Naples-style panzerotti to start. On Cours Saleya, in the heart of the Old Town.
Neapolitan, leopard crust
🕒 ~11:00-22:30 (later Fri & Sat)
🍕 Neapolitan pizza, panzerotti, take-away
🍕L’Authentique: champion-made, to take away
The work of a French champion pizzaiolo: fresh sourdough made daily, dough rested at least 24 hours and hand-stretched, with tomato sauce brought in from Italy. It’s mostly a take-away and delivery spot with just a few tables, so grab one and eat it by the sea. Two Nice branches, in Libération and Fabron.
Sourdough, champion pizzaiolo
🕒 Open incl. Sunday · take-away & delivery
🍕 Fresh sourdough, 24h dough, authentic Italian
🍕Acqua e Farina: wood-fired, 100% Italian
A warm, fully Italian spot in the Old Town built around a wood-fired oven painted in the colours of the Italian flag. Authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas, buffalo mozzarella, market-fresh produce, plus a tapas bar and live music. A lovely all-in Italian evening just off Cours Saleya.
Wood-fired, 100% Italian
🕒 Wed-Sun 11:00-15:00 & 18:00-22:30 · Mon lunch · closed Tue
🍕 Wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, tapas, live music
📞 06 67 36 81 21
🔥 Classic wood-fired & Niçois
🔥La Pizza Cresci: the historic one
Opened by Francis Cresci in 1956 and billed as the first pizzeria in France, this is the historic name plenty of niçois will tell you is still the best. Wood-fired, generous, and busy from lunch till late in the Masséna pedestrian zone. Come hungry and expect a queue on weekends.
Wood-fired, since 1956
🕒 Daily, roughly 11:30-00:30
🍕 Wood-fired, classic and generous
🔥Chez Pipo: socca first, but the pizza delivers
A Niçois institution by the port, famous for socca from a wood oven running since 1923, and the pizza that comes out of it is properly good: charred, chewy, old-school. Order both, plus a pissaladière, for the full local spread. Cash is king here.
Wood oven since 1923
🕒 Open incl. Sunday, take-away & terrace
🍕 Socca, pizza, pissaladière · cash preferred
🍝 Italian all-rounders (pizza + pasta)
💶Sale e Pepe: best value in the centre
A neighbourhood Italian just off Avenue Jean Médecin doing thin-dough pizzas with generous, quality toppings, alongside pasta like linguine with seafood. One of the highest-rated pizzerias in central Nice and genuinely good value, with an average bill around €15.
Great value, ~€15
🕒 Lunch & dinner
🍕 Thin-dough pizza, pasta, good value
🍝La Voglia: generous, on Cours Saleya
A busy Italian at the flower-market end of Cours Saleya, known for wood-fired pizzas and famously huge portions of pasta and antipasti. No reservations, so turn up early or expect to wait for the terrace. Great for a hungry group.
Wood-fired, big portions
🕒 Lunch & dinner, no reservations
🍕 Wood-fired pizza, pasta, antipasti
🍝La Favola: pizzas made in front of you
Right on Cours Saleya with a prime people-watching terrace, La Favola does pizzas from an open kitchen plus solid pasta (rigatoni al forno, seafood spaghetti). Reliably good, always busy, and one of the most-reviewed Italians in town. A safe, fun choice in the thick of the Old Town.
Open kitchen, prime terrace
🕒 Daily, lunch & dinner
🍕 Open-kitchen pizza, pasta, terrace
Quick comparison
| Pizzeria | Style | Price | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piperno | Neapolitan | €€ | Cours Saleya |
| L’Authentique | Authentic Italian, sourdough (take-away) | €€ | Libération / Fabron |
| Acqua e Farina | Wood-fired Neapolitan, Italian | €€ | Old Town |
| La Pizza Cresci | Wood-fired classic, historic | €€ (~€12-18) | Centre |
| Chez Pipo | Niçois wood oven, socca + pizza | € (~€10-15) | Port |
| Sale e Pepe | Thin dough, best value | € (~€15) | Centre |
| La Voglia | Wood-fired, huge portions | €€ | Cours Saleya |
| La Favola | Open-kitchen, terrace | €€ | Cours Saleya |
🍽️ Make a meal of it
Round out the evening with more of the good stuff nearby.
Tips for pizza in Nice
- Book or arrive early at Piperno and Cresci, both fill up fast on weekend evenings.
- Cours Saleya is pizza central: Piperno, La Voglia and La Favola are all within a minute of each other, so if one is full, walk to the next.
- Bring cash for Chez Pipo, and pair the pizza with a slice of socca and a pissaladière.
- Skip the Promenade seafront pizzas, they trade on the view, not the dough.
FAQ
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Thomas
I’m Thomas, founder of Nice Party Life. We share the best tips, from hidden gems to must-sees, to make your stay in Nice unforgettable. Whether you’re seeking nightlife or city adventures, we’re here to guide you! 🌴✨
